


Gala Gone Wrong

by Nicolemoon8



Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Comfortember 2020, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Mentioned Ben Parker, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Stark Industries, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27512785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicolemoon8/pseuds/Nicolemoon8
Summary: "Tony knew Peter was an anxious kid. Throw a couple traumatic events a child's way and its no real surprise. Add in the crap experiences that superheroing earns you and it really doesn’t take a genius to spot it."OrPeter's fidgeting doesn’t go unnoticed and after a couple of weeks with his anxiety acting up, things come to a bit of a head at a Stark Industries sponsored event. Thankfully, Peter has a lot of people in his corner looking out for him.COMFORTEMBER PROMPTS INCLUDED:Substitutions:7. Sunset8. Party9. Fidgeting
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007865
Comments: 8
Kudos: 95
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	Gala Gone Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!  
> *This story works as either a stand-alone or as a prequel for the following one-shot and subsequent "Protectors" series.
> 
> I was really excited for this one and that's why it took me a bit longer! I mean, are you even an Irondad writer if you don't write an SI Gala or Field Trip fic? Well, the answer is still yes but moving on! Please enjoy and let me know which parts you liked best or if something caught your eye!  
> 

Tony knew Peter was an anxious kid. Throw a couple traumatic events a child's way and its no real surprise. Add in the crap experiences that superheroing earns you and it really doesn’t take a genius to spot it. 

In the lab, the kid was constantly working with his hands so it wasn’t as apparent, but mix in a constant tapping foot and half-chewed pencils everywhere and it’s a different story. 

And during movie nights the kid could be as squirrely as heck. If he wasn’t wiggling like a worm, he was chewing his sweater strings or rolling and unrolling his sleeve cuffs until someone (i.e. Tony) wrapped his arms around the kid to pull him close. Then maybe he’d settle for drumming a tune against his mentor/father figure's knee. Tony would be lying if he said he didn’t secretly appreciate the little sounds and movements that served as reminders that the kid was safe and near.

What he actually didn’t appreciate was the cause behind it all. All these tells weren’t necessarily worrying on their own. But this wasn’t the first time Tony had seen these exact signs fester up. When it came to Peter, fidgeting only happened like this when the kid was maxed out on stress or anxiety. 

From the start, Tony had wanted to make sure the kid didn’t fall into the same unhealthy patterns he himself had had in years past. This meant both Peter and Tony got used to discussing emotionally charged and sometimes uncomfortable topics like anxiety and mental health. The deep conversations they had over time had the added benefit of forging a strong bond between the two rather quickly. During one of these conversations, Peter had confided that when his anxiety acts up, it usually leads to restlessness and therefore fidgeting. Nightmares usually weren’t too far behind either.

So needless to say, the fidgeting did not sit well with Tony. He checked in with May a couple days ago and had agreed on Peter spending the weekend at the Tower, starting with the gala tonight. They would do a little work at the fundraiser and then have time to decompress and get the kid sorted out. If Tony could ease Pete's nervousness and help him settle a bit, he was absolutely going to try.

In the meantime the 2nd Annual Stark Industries Gala and Fundraiser event was set to take place in a few hours. Tony figured it’d probably be a good idea to go check on the kid seeing as Peter had agreed to a speaking part tonight. Bullheaded kid, of course he didn’t want to kick back and relax if there was work for him to help a good cause. Tony's chest warmed with pride as he made his way up from the lab.

Peter had come so far in terms of handling himself well during business matters. The first time the kid spoke up on his own during an S.I. meeting Tony just about fell out of his chair. And again more recently when the boy agreed to speak tonight. It wouldn’t be his first time publicly speaking for S.I. but a near thing in that kind of setting. When Peter found out the goal of tonight was to help low income families afford higher education, he wanted to get involved in some way. Of course he didn’t know Tony specifically picked the cause after meeting Peter a couple years back. Tony suggested he take part somehow and a small speaking role was what they had settled on.

When he reached the penthouse and what was essentially Peter's 2nd bedroom, he knocked twice on the slightly open door before walking in. He found Peter at his desk looking over his notes for later. The plan was for Peter to do a short introduction for the chosen charity and they would go from there.

“Hey Bud.” Tony took a seat on the kid's bed.

“Hey! Did you finish the update to the Mark 47 software?”

“Sure did. Did you finish reviewing your notes?” He asked as he nodded towards the flashcards Peter was holding.

“For now I think.” He huffed lightly. “I'll probably look at them a bit more before the party starts. When is May getting here again?”

“Five o’clock. We'll get ready here and head over to the event center around six. You'll do your intro, we'll grab some food and mingle as much as Pepper tells us we have to and people will donate money to charity.” He knew giving another rundown of events would be appreciated even if the kid hadn’t asked for one.

“And we'll finish with a movie night.” Peter added.

“Not a bad night, right?”

“No, not at all. Well, a little iffy on that first part but the rest sounds fine.” Tony wrapped an arm around him from behind, resting his chin on Peter's head.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll be next to you all night, not to mention your gorgeous aunt, my gorgeous fiancé and whatever Happy is, will all be around too.” Peter closed his eyes a moment, soaking in being wrapped in Mr. Stark's arms. 

“That does help. I’m nervous but that sorta feels like the best reason to do it, ya know?”

“You are such a good kid, Pete. Honestly, I have no clue which stork dropped you off all those years ago but I’m glad they chose New York.”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” Peter rolled his eyes.

“What? Everyone knows that’s where babies come from.”

“I'm not five. I know where babies come from Mr. Stark.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” Tony teased as he wiggled his eyebrows. He laughed when Peter's face reddened.

“Mr. Stark!” 

Tony's cackling was interrupted by a knock on the door and May's head popping in.

“What are you boys laughing about in here?” She asked, looking between the two as she smiled.

“Absolutely nothing May!” Peter chimed in, sending a glare at Tony before he could even think of answering for them.

May's heart warmed, taking in the two boys before her. Never in a million years could she have predicted she'd be standing in the Stark penthouse, having her kid be adored by the very man himself. Wild.

Tony looked at his watch and saw it was time to get ready. “Alright, Roo. I’m gonna go get dressed and ready. If you need help taming these curls let me know.” He ruffled the kid's hair when he passed him and May as he left.

“Yeah, yeah.” Peter patted his curls back down, tempted to stick his tongue out at his mentor’s retreating back but refrained.

“I brought you something for tonight.” May said after a moment as she hung up a garment bag on the back of Peter's door.

“I already have a suit? Many in fact.” Peter said as he walked over to May.

“I know, and you always look so handsome in them but I know you've been having a tough time lately and thought this might help.” She pulled an old but very familiar suit out of the bag and held it up. Peter's chest and stomach twinged at the sight of it.

“May.” He slowly reached out and brushed his hand down the material. So many visions of Ben wearing it crossed his mind.

“I know you have other suits, and if you prefer one of them that is completely fine. I just thought you've filled out a bit in your shoulders and you’re about the same height now.” May trailed off, quickly swiping at her eyes. She didn’t want to overwhelm Peter, but no matter when Ben was brought up by either of them it somehow always led to a tear or two.

Peter swallowed down the burn in his throat. He was unable to keep his face as neutral as he wanted apparently as May came forward to hug him.

“Oh, Petey Pie. He would be so damn proud of you.” She rubbed small circles on his back for a moment before pulling away. Peter looked back at her with his bright brown eyes that hid so much from her, the world, everyone really and she knew it. “What do you think?” She asked gently, brushing a curl behind the boy's ear.

Peter blew out a breath, trying to find his equilibrium again before grinning. “I think I’m glad Mr. Stark bought me enough shoes to go with every possible wardrobe change. Will it match what you’re wearing?” He asked, face both excited again and a little hopeful. This kid.

“How about I go get ready and we'll find out.” Her eyes twinkled as she grabbed her own closed garment bag and went to the guest room next door.

Peter took a moment in the quiet to process the last few minutes. He knew both Mr. Stark and May had caught onto his general anxiety the last couple weeks. He hated how obvious his nervousness had been, which of course made him more nervous. Anxiety was bad enough, but anxiety about having anxiety just felt like an added kick while he was down. He figured the fundraiser tonight would actually serve as a pretty good distraction. He was trying to find more ways to be helpful as Peter Parker, not just Spiderman and tonight seemed like a good place to do so.

He shook his thoughts off now that they had quieted a bit. He went back to the hanging suit and admired it for a second. The beautiful navy was worn slightly, maybe a spot around the sleeve and a smidge around the cuffs but there were no obvious signs that it was used. At least, not to those who didn’t have the memories to verify it. After donning his own white dress shirt and pants, he took the suit jacket out and put it on.

Tears immediately sprang to his eyes as he inhaled the faint scent of Ben. He wasn’t even sure he would have noticed it if it wasn’t for his super senses. He smiled faintly and wrapped his arms around himself. He let a couple tears slide out as he controlled his breathing and pulled himself together. He didn’t bother looking in the mirror, he had a fundraiser to get to and he wasn’t altogether sure he'd be able to keep the memories at bay, even if they were good ones.

He saw May first, putting on a pair of heels while leaning against the hallway wall in a beautiful black dress with one thin blue vertical stripe running the length of it. He hadn’t seen it before and knew it was a result of one of his aunt and Pepper's “No Boys Allowed” days.

“May you look so pretty!”

“Ah, I see you remember the rules on how to treat a girl when taking her to a dance.” She teased lightly before straightening up and catching a glimpse of Peter standing before her. She couldn’t contain her surprised gasp. She knew Peter was growing up but seeing him in the familiar suit was like seeing Ben. Broad shoulders but a bit lanky overall, a sharper jawline than she'd noticed before, the similar nose with a slight crook due to both boys having their share of broken noses in their day. Of course Peter looked like Richard, but with Ben's suit…wow. “You look so handsome, baby.”

Peter blushed lightly, tugging the front of his jacket a bit self-consciously. “We both spiff up pretty nice, don’t we?” He laughed.

“I’d say.” Tony added as he walked towards them and the lift. “May as stunning as ever.” He smiled and gave her an exaggerated wink, earning a snort of amusement from her. He turned toward their kid. “Looking pretty sharp yourself Kiddo. Nice suit, I like it. I don’t think I’ve seen it before, but then again we did buy quite a few.”

“There was no ‘we’, Mr. Stark. You dragged me to a tailor and ordered almost fifty suits!”

“You can never have too many suits, Underoos. Trust me.” Tony swept his arms out, gesturing to himself wearing a suit.

“But they all look nearly identical!” Peter exclaimed, unable to stop the smile from tugging at his lips.

“Nearly being the key word.”

“Boys. It’s almost six. Let’s go put those suits to good use, shall we?” May, ever the voice of reason rolled her eyes as she ushered the boys into the elevator. 

Unsurprisingly, the banter lasted the entire drive over and even the walk into the hotel ballroom the gala was hosted in. Tony was happy to sass and tease the kid, even more so to be on the receiving end of it if it meant his kid kept smiling and laughing like he was. It wasn’t hard to miss May’s appreciative smile.

The noise is what greeted Peter first as they stepped into the extravagant room. Although, Peter figured, he’d probably think every ballroom was extravagant. The twinkling lights of chandeliers and reflections of light off champagne glasses caught his eye as he looked around. He concentrated on tempering his senses, letting them adjust without them straying too far out of whack. The familiar hands both May and Tony had instinctively put on him as they made their way to their table helped ground him.

Pepper and Happy who had arrived earlier to setup, came over once they saw the new arrivals.

“Hi Pep. You look so beautiful darling." Tony greeted gently, with a quick kiss on her lips.

“Dashing as ever yourself, Mr. Stark.” Pepper smiled back, taking in just how handsome Tony really was. The moment was only slightly ruined by the dramatic child next to them imitating gagging sounds.

“Peter!” May smacked his shoulder lightly as Tony rolled his eyes.

“C’mon Roo, that was nothing. We could give you a real show but – “

“But that would be completely inappropriate and unnecessary. Hi sweetheart, hi May.” Pepper chimed in, giving the pair both a hug before turning back to Tony. “You and I should go over and chat with Gerry. He's been talking about retiring from the board.”

“Aww, we just got here.” Tony whined as he gestured to May, Peter and Happy who were just settling in at the round table.

Pepper ignored him completely and spoke to the three sitting. “We'll be back in a few. Peter, they have those crab cakes that you liked last time. You should grab a few so you’re not too hungry before dinner starts.”

“Thanks Pepper!” Peter's chest warmed at the amazing people he had in his life. They always made him feel so loved whether they meant to or not. Peter heard Mr. Stark grumbling about being called Mr. Stark still while Pepper got a first name as they both walked away.

Peter was content to let Happy and May's chatter wash over him while he surveyed the room, taking everything in. It never hurt to know where the exits and entrances were. Both a habit born from Spiderman but also just anxiety in general.

Pepper and Mr. Stark returned after a little while, filling up their table of five. Peter wasn’t exactly comfortable being around so many rich and elegant looking people but it was easy to forget about them as he looked at who he was immediately surrounded by. Munching on appetizers helped too, the crab cakes really were yummy. Random people came and went, chatting with Mr. Stark or Pepper, occasionally turning to him to be introduced.

Before Peter knew it, Evan the event coordinator was tapping him on the shoulder saying it was time to head up to the podium. He thanked him before he patted his pocket to confirm he had his notecards, which he did. He saw Mr. Stark give him a smile from next to him where he was engaged in conversation with another business looking guy who had come stand by their table to chat. He felt pretty confident as he smiled back.

As he stood from the table, he felt a tug on his suit jacket and a horrifying ripping sound accompany it. He froze for a moment before looking down at the side of his blazer, Ben's blazer, that was now torn from where it had snagged on his chair. It was like the air had been squeezed from the room, like water filling his ears as he took in what just happened.

”Shit!” May bolted upright in her seat when she saw what happened. Her exclamation was more surprising than anything to those around the table who hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Mr. Stark shooed away the man he was talking with to see what was happening. Both himself and Pepper noticed Peter standing frozen and May looking very concerned about something.

“Oh honey, are you okay? It’s okay, really.” She reached out, almost afraid to touch him, not wanting to overwhelm him.

“What? What’s wrong?” Tony immediately questioned, the look on May's face not at all sitting well with him. Peter not answering did absolutely nothing to stop his own concern from rising too.

“Peter?” May tried again, just as gently. She unknowingly interrupted the boy’s panicked internal monologue. She watched his throat bob as he gulped in a breath, trying to steady himself. May berated herself, if only she hadn’t suggested the jacket.

“Somebody wanna tell us what’s going on?” Mr. Stark added in, nerves completely over the edge now, the stretching quiet pushing him there. “You’re not hurt, are you Kid? If you’re hiding another injury I swear to God.”

Peter finally found his voice, even if it came out completely brittle. “No, no. Nothing like that, I'm…I'm okay.” He cleared his throat. “I have to get up there.” He shakily threw a thumb over his shoulder pointing to the stage. 

“Honey, really. It’s alright, you can sit this one out.” May's eyes questioned. The placating smile her boy turned to her with hurt, like he was the one trying to reassure her. She caught Tony's eyes, silently asking him not to intervene quite yet.

“Its okay, honest. I'm gonna go get the introduction started.” 

“If you’re sure.” 

Peter gave a quick nod, his face completely blank. He didn’t miss the concerned glances of the others as he stepped away, but kept walking towards the front of the room.

Tony and the others followed May's cue and took their seats again after they had sprung up on instinct when whatever just happened had happened. The tense mood around the table didn’t match the party atmosphere surrounding them; the last few minutes going completely unnoticed by everyone else. The lights flickered once overhead to tell them the speeches would be starting soon.

All four adults were unsure who should talk first, but looked towards May who was slumped forward, hand resting on her forehead.

“Why'd the kid look like he needed a full system reboot?” Happy broke the terse silence first.

May huffed a frustrated sigh before raising her head. “He's wearing Ben's suit. He's grown up so much, he’s finally as tall as… as Ben was. I figured it’d be a good time for him to have it. I was just trying to help his nerves.” Happy put a comforting hand over hers.

“And the jacket tore.” Tony added, the missing pieces making sense now. “Damn.” His heart hurt for his kid.

“It’s not your fault May. It was just an accident. Like you said, you were trying to help.” Pepper added.

Their attention was drawn to the stage when the microphone pinged and Peter began speaking. Tony shouldn’t have been surprised, the kid was able to pull off looking completely calm and even a little confident. He despised the fact that Peter was able to mask his turmoil so well though, especially for the sake of the company or press. It reminded him a bit too much of himself if he was being honest. 

As soon as Peter handed over the microphone to the next speaker, he gave a quick thumbs up to May and Mr. Stark before gesturing that he'd be stepping outside. Peter was across the room and out the door before anyone could think to catch up to him.

“Happy stay with Pepper, I'll keep you both updated. May, shall we go find our kid?” Tony offered his arm; he knew running around in heels was a superpower of its own but figured a little extra support couldn’t hurt.

“Lets.” May agreed and they made their way out into the courtyard. They guessed Peter would avoid the press near the front.

“I'm not seeing him. Can you get Tuesday to check where he is?” May asked after they made their rounds outside twice.

Tony made a wheezing sound as he choked out, “Tuesday? What, why would I name my AI after – “

“Tony not the time!”

“Right right. Fine, let me ask FRIDAY where the spider baby is.” He pulled out his phone and texted the AI who sent back a reply instantly. “Looks like he's back at the Tower.”

“I don’t know if it’s better to think he swung there or ran there but I guess we'll find out.” May's stomach settled now that she knew her kid was somewhere safe.

“I don’t mind heading back that way if you wanna stick around with Happy and Pepper awhile longer.” Tony offered, knowing May had been looking forward to the night out as much as his Forehead of Security. When he saw her biting her lip he continued, “I'll text you updates. I'm probably just going to put the baby down early anyways.” He offered her a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at the last bit before turning more serious. “I want a call from you both before bed. And make sure he gets something for dinner, he only had appetizers.”

“Yes ma’am.” He continued to smile, glad to know he wasn’t the only one who loved the kid to pieces.

“Call me ma’am again Stark.” May happily snarked back, the earlier tension gone from them both.

“Will you let Pepper and Happy know the plan?”

“You have a suit on the way already don’t you?”

“You know me so well.” The Iron Man suit touched down almost silently next to the pair. Even though there was still a bit of daylight left there weren’t many people out in the courtyard with them, thankfully.

“Give him a hug for me.”

“Will do. Now you go put those dancing shoes to good use and have a good time. We'll call you later.”

“Thanks Tony.” She gave him a quick hug before heading back inside as he took off in the suit.

FRIDAY had told him Peter was at the Tower but she hadn’t mentioned where exactly. He didn’t have to look far as he easily touched down just behind the kid sitting on the rooftop. He let the suit disengage before he took a seat next to the boy, forgoing the dangling legs off the edge part.

“Top of the Tower, huh. Little on the nose if you were looking to get away don’t ya think?” He bumped his knee against the kid's leg, acutely watching for any signs of distress but seeing none.

“Wasn’t looking to get away just…up I guess.” Tony looked out over the city, taking in the skyscrapers he’s flown between and the busy streets he's driven on. Past it all the sun glowed as it kissed the horizon. 

“Living here makes it easy to forget how beautiful it can be.” Tony nearly whispered, not wanting to break the serene moment. “No wonder you’re always sitting up here.”

“It is pretty calming. I could use all the calm I can get it feels like lately.”

“Yeah buddy, we wanted to talk to you about that.” Tony turned towards Peter slightly, noting the kid’s face was still focused forward. “May told me about the suit.”

Tony could see the way Peter stiffened slightly before an exhale seemed to take all the wind out of him. “I overreacted.”

“I don’t think you did kid. You know I wasn’t close to my dad like you were with your uncle. But my mom, I still miss her everyday whether I think about it or not. When you have that much love Pete, it doesn’t just go away because someone’s gone. And it’s okay for it to hurt sometimes; I think that just means big things are being felt.”

He saw Peter wiping at his eyes with his dress shirt sleeve, the torn blazer had been folded and set off to the side earlier. “Come here Pete, I need to hug you. May's orders.”

Peter chuckled wetly as he scooted over to let Mr. Stark wrap his arms around him. They both quieted again as they observed the brilliant orange sunrays casting long shadows in their wake.

“I like your hugs.” Peter's near silent words drifted up to Tony from where the child rested against him.

“Well, they’re free of charge whenever you’d like one, you know where to find me.” He gave the boy a tight squeeze. “Especially if they help your anxiety.”

“Noticed the fidgeting huh?” Peter asked, sounding defeated.

“Kinda hard to miss when you’re tapping out Morse code on every available surface. Kid at one point you were tapping out different messages between the pencil in your hand and your shoes on the floor. Those ones probably took me the longest to decode.” Tony couldn’t keep the fond smile off his face. How he ended up with this child in his life he'll never know, but man does he love every minute of it.

“Uggggh, Mr. Stark! Half the time I don’t even realize I’m doing it. It’s like I have so many thoughts at once I can’t even think them all so they overflow and I hate it and its exhausting!”

“I get it bud, I do. Why do you think I get so caught up in my lab? Not that I'm recommending week long lab binges by any means. Gosh Pepper and May, heck even Rhodey would have my ass if they thought I was suggesting that as a solution. But I do have a few ideas that might work for you.”

“I’m just tired of feeling like this. Like I can't sit still even though I'm exhausted. The stupid restless thoughts, not to mention the crap sleep. I wanna try whatever you think might help. Google didn’t get me very far.”

“No, I wouldn’t suppose it did.” Tony snorted before sobering up a bit. “Well first things first, I think at some point over the next couple of days we should talk about therapy.”

A long enough minute dragged on that Tony was just thinking he overstepped when Peter spoke up again. “You think that'll help?”

“I really do, Bud.”

Peter heaved a sigh before sitting up, meeting his mentor's eyes. “My anxiety has stolen so much from me. I don’t want it to be this way forever. If you think therapy is a good solution, then I'll try it. I trust you.”

Tony didn’t try to hide the tears that blurred his eyes as he looked at this beautiful, brave child in front of him. His child. He moved a hand to cup Peter's cheek, bringing him closer to plant a kiss on the top of his curls.

“Oh Bambino, we're gonna figure this out together.”

“Together.” Peter agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think! How was the pacing? Was the story too short or long? Was it what you expected? Just some food for thought! ❤
> 
> Tumblr: ZanderLjones


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